Death of a Naturalist | Seamus Heaney Flashcards
‘All year’
Starting the poem with ‘all year’ provides a sense that the poet observed nature in all seasons
‘Punishing sun’
Indicates an uncomfortable heat that the speaker is happy to exist in. His fascination with nature is a distraction from the harsh reality
‘Gargled delicately’
Playful, onomatopoeic quality represents the childlike wonder
‘Warm thick slobber’
A rather grotesque image but once again it is evident that the speaker observes this with a childlike curiosity, delighting in the textures and smells
‘Jampotfuls’
Purposeful grammatical error in this made up word to highlight his youth
‘Wait and watch’
Full of curiosity and anticipation as he observes the natural wonder
‘Nimble swimming tadpoles’
The biological change that the tadpoles experience is the symbolic of the transition to adolescence
‘And how he croaked’
The sentence structure here mimics his hurried excitement with the repeated ‘and’ as though he is desperate to relay all the information he has learned
‘Yellow in the sun and brown in the rain’
Contrast of the jolly brightness of yellow to represent the feelings associated with summer and the brown of the rain. Pathetic fallacy used to foreshadow the change to come. Enjambment. The final tone of the first stanza is an ominous tone
‘Then’
The sentence structure of ‘then’ immediately implies a change and a shift in mood
‘Fields were rank’
Description of his much loved natural surroundings are now focusing on the unpleasantness
‘Angry frogs’
The frog spawn and tadpoles have developed and matured and now carry with them a new aggression. Symbolism represents the change in the poet
‘Invaded’
Word choice of ‘invaded’ suggests unwelcome and almost violent presence
‘Coarse croaking’
Reference to puberty
‘Before’
Enjambment lingers on the word ‘before’ to highlight that the innocence and joy of the previous stanza is now something in the past
‘Gross bellied’
Again, the description of the frogs contrasts the previous stanza. It appears the poet is now repulsed by their presence
‘Slap and plop’
Onomatopoeic quality to reinforce the unpleasant sound of the frogs as they establish their territory in the pond
‘Obscene frogs’
The poet appears to be almost frightened by their domineering presence
‘Poised like mud grenades’
Violent, war-like imagery to highlight the threatening nature of the animals. The poet feels under attack
‘The spawn would clutch it’
The childlike fascination has gone and any attempt to try and reconnect to a more innocent time appears dangerous and ill advised
